Castleford coach addresses Zac Cini omission as honest admission made following Wigan win
Zac Cini (ball in hand) in action for Castleford Tigers in 2026, fending off Bradford Bulls' Rowan Milnes
Castleford boss Ryan Carr confirmed he had dropped Zac Cini for performance-related issues, and admitted the full-back shirt was Jenson Windley’s to lose after a solid display in the Tigers’ shock win at Wigan Warriors.
Australian utility Cini – who has four NRL appearances on his CV – played the bulk of games last year in the centres in what was his first season as a Cas player.
But having missed the early stages of this season through injury and returned following the long-term blows to Blake Taaffe and Fletcher Rooney, Cini has been thrust in at full-back so far this term.
Failing to impress new head coach Carr, he found himself dropped into the reserves on Sunday.
Castleford coach addresses Zac Cini omission
Off-contract ace Cini, who will turn 26 next month, featured in a heavy 38-4 defeat at Robin Park Arena rather than the first-team’s remarkable 24-14 Super League win across the road at The Brick Community Stadium which preceded it.
Speaking after his side beat Wigan courtesy of a memorable second half comeback, Tigers boss Carr admitted: “Zac’s going to play in the reserves today, there are some things in his game he needs to improve at and work on.
“I’m a big believer in competition for spots. We haven’t been afforded that ability to have more competition for certain spots (through injuries).
“Competition makes you want to play better every week, knowing you’ve got to try to work hard to keep your job.”
Teenager Jenson Windley slotted into the Cas side which beat Wigan, making his first appearance of 2026 having played twice on loan in the Championship for Salford RLFC earlier this season.
Having delivered a solid showing, it would appear Cini – who had interest from Catalans Dragons in the off-season – now faces an uphill battle to regain his spot in Cas’ first-team.
Asked whether the full-back shirt was Windley’s to lose now during his post-match press conference, Carr said: “He played there today and he did well, so yeah.
“He was in the game, it was his first crack there this year and we got the result.
“He’s a good kid and he works hard.”
